Homage to a ‘Top Gun’ filmmaker

Murukesh Krishnan

Best remembered for his action packed, glossy, visually stunning films, Tony Scott combines the best of what commercial Hollywood has got to offer. Being the forerunner of high budget, fast paced, action flicks that characterize the genre today, he followed his elder brother Ridley Scott into filmmaking.

At the age of 16, he acted in his brother’s short black-and-white film Boy and Bicycle (1965) and subsequently started directing commercials for Ridley’s production company. He made his directorial debut with The Hunger (1983). The film starred David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as lovelorn vampires and went on to become a cult film.

His break came when he was noticed by producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson .They signed him on to make the classic Top Gun (1986). Described as “a sleek, pulsating paean to testosterone” by a critic, the film became the highest grossing film of the year, redefined the genre of action films and catapulted Tom Cruise to instant Hollywood fame.

Scott subsequently collaborated with the producers on big budget films Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Days of Thunder (1990). An avid rock climber, Tony translated his love for fast cars and motorcycles into his filmmaking.

In 1993, he made True Romance, which was scripted by another legend Quentin Tarantino. The film is often regarded by many as his best film.It has the unusual quality of carrying the Tarantino sensibility while visually being a Tony Scott film. He also worked extensively with actor Denzel Washington on films like Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà vu (2006), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) and Unstoppable (2010).

Unlike his counterparts, who were largely dependent on the digital, especially while shooting action films, Tony preferred to “keep it real”, lending a primeval quality to his sequences.

At the time of his unexpected and shocking death, Tony had just completed filming Out of the Furnace, a drama starring Batman star Christian Bale.